


Team Avatar (and Zuko)

by HonkBeep



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Firebending & Firebenders, Gen, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, Partially Blind Zuko (Avatar), Why Did I Write This?, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko Joins The Gaang Early (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), ponytail zuko :/
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:08:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28436640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonkBeep/pseuds/HonkBeep
Summary: “His body was thrown roughly onto the deck with the force of the fire blast behind him. He scrambled to get to his feet but the culprit behind the firebending was already upon him — and it was Zhao.The commander pounced on him and tried to pin him down. “Escaping with the Avatar?!” Zhao roared. “That’s low even for a traitorous bastard like you!”“You gave me no choice!” Zuko snarled and wriggled out from underneath him, readying himself for a fight. Zhao grabbed  at him but Zuko was too fast.”This is my own personal “Zuko joins the Gaang early” fic since everyone’s doing it. Basically, Zhao captures Zuko and the Gaang when they are at the crescent island during season one and they get thrown in prison together. I know a lot of people have done this before, but apparently mine is pretty different than the others so that is funky fresh 😎
Relationships: The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 191





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my “zuko joins the gaang early” fic!!! the premise is really popular and i thought my plot would be too but according to the comments so far i am going in a different direction than a lot of other fics so that is pretty cool of me 😎 
> 
> as is the case for all my fics i just shat this out in my notes app and am posting it with no edits or anything so i don’t accept constructive criticism but i AM a slut for comments so go ahead and tell me what you like about it if u want or dont idrc have a nice day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayo chapter one lets go. 
> 
> tw for this chapter///
> 
> needles  
> non consensual drugging  
> physical abuse  
> being restrained/unable to move  
> swearing

“What are we gonna do?!” Asked Katara earnestly. “We have to escape! Zhao is going to take us straight to the Fire Lord! The longer we wait, the closer we get!” 

The sounds of Zhao’s huge warship underway filled the dimly lit cell. 

“Even if we do escape, we’re still stuck on a boat in the middle of the ocean. We don’t even have anywhere to escape to!” Sokka cried. 

“We just need to get to the deck. Then I’ll call Appa!” Aang argued. 

“Appa isn’t gonna-“ Sokka was cut off by the sounds of commotion from down the hallway. The dank metal corridor was lit up for a split second by a blast of firebending. There was yelling and scuffling and metal on metal and the smell of smoke and sulfur filled their nostrils. The commotion seemed to be making it’s way towards their cell. Soon they began to be able to make out words. 

“-down and take it, you pathetic coward!”

“You can’t do this to me, Zhao! We’re on the same side!” 

“How dare you still call yourself Fire Nation?! You are a traitor and a disgrace!” 

“You get your hands off me you miserable bastard!” 

Those words were mixed in among the grunts and swearing of many men, but the two who were yelling sounded familiar. One of them was obviously Zhao, as the other had used his name, and the other was also familiar. It was male; young, raspy, not old enough to be a man but too strong to be a boy. He sounded furious, and desperate. 

Prince Zuko. 

Soon, the whole commotion came into view. There was Zhao, looking angry and disheveled, followed by a steaming, writhing, almost feral-looking Prince Zuko who was being a combination of escorted and restrained by no less than three Fire Navy guards. The yelling, swearing, and firebending continued — mostly curtesy of Prince Zuko — until they stopped in front of the cell and one of the guards reached for a key. Zuko looked indignant as he dug his heels in. “You can’t throw me in jail you son of a bitch!” He cried, staring right at Zhao. 

Zhao gave him an evil, self-satisfied smirk that was dripping with loathing and contempt. “I can do whatever I want, Prince Zuko, you’re an enemy of the Fire Nation.” He crooned smugly. 

Zuko’s eyes burned with hate as his glare bore into Zhao, and then, with an enraged yell, he generated a huge blast of fire that forced Aang, Sokka, and Katara to close their eyes and turn away lest they get burned by the fire or blinded by the light. 

When they opened their eyes, Zuko was no longer restrained, but instead facing his captors. Everything about him screamed hostility. Both hands were full of fire, his gaze dared Zhao and his men to get close to him. He looked almost animalistic, with proverbial hackles raised and face curled in a snarl that barred his teeth. There was no doubt that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. 

Zhao didn’t look intimidated. He gave his guards a nod. “Do it.” He said. 

That was when all hell broke loose. Zhao sent a tongue of flame at Zuko, who was rushed by two guards as he blocked it. Each guard grabbed an arm and attempted to pin Zuko to the wall, but he was too slippery. He writhed out of their grasp and tried to escape down the hall he had just came from, but the third guard was right there waiting for him. Zuko tried to duck under him but he got caught by the ponytail and hauled back into the fray. 

That’s when Sokka lost track of what was happening. It was a mass of armor and skin and firebending and hair and swearing and smoke and yelling and movement, it was too much for a single set of eyes to keep track of. 

Suddenly, all the bodies stilled, all the yelling stopped, and the only fire was a single flame held in the palm of Zhao’s hand. It was hardly an inch away from Zuko’s face. The two were making intense eye contact. For a single tense moment they just stood there, eyes boring into each other. Then Zuko spoke. 

“Do it, pussy.” 

And then it became chaos once more, with fists of flame flying in every direction, grunts and cries and curses, limbs beating against other limbs, bodies hitting walls, writhing, spitting, fighting dirty. Sokka was pretty sure he saw Zuko bite someone. 

But eventually, the chaos tensed. It didn’t slow down, but there was less movement. Muscles strained, but punches were no longer thrown. There was less fire. Parts of Zuko were getting stuck. He could move less and less of his body. Eventually, the movement stopped altogether and Sokka was again able to make out what was happening. 

All four men were pinning Zuko against the cold metal wall. His bare arm was exposed and held tight, and one of the guards had somehow produced a syringe. The needle was hovering over his pale skin. Zuko gasped and struggled, but no amount of spite could give him the strength to defy the weight of four grown men on top of him, all forcing him down. 

“Get off of me you fat sons of bitches!” He cried. “Get that thing away from me! Don’t you dare stick that needle in me, I swear to God! Let me go!” With his physical means of defiance severely limited, Zuko had no choice but to turn to verbal assaults. He spat curse words that Aang, Sokka, and Katara had never even heard of before. He strung together such creative strings of insults that Sokka was somewhat impressed. The volume and power of his voice nearly drowned out the droning of the massive engines and machinery at work in the vessel. He was practically foaming at the mouth, saliva sent flying with every word, such was the strength of his emotion. 

But it wasn’t enough to stop Zhao. The commander looked at the guard with the syringe and gave him a nod. The guard complied and the wretched needle pierced the soft skin of Zuko’s inner arm, eliciting a yell of defiance from him, and he injected the drug into a large blue vein in the inner elbow. The shot must’ve pushed Zuko over the edge and he somehow found the strength to tear his arm away, drawing much more blood than necessary and bending the needle while it was still inside. 

The guards allowed him to pull away and stagger back, blood dripping from his arm. He winced and groaned, stepping back weakly, and shot a death glare at Zhao. “What did you give me?!” He demanded, voice indignant and full of hate. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.” Zhao said dismissively, and waltzed towards him. Zuko snarled and sent a whip of fire out in front of him to keep the commander at bay, but the flame was weak and fleeting. He gawked at it. “What the-?!” He began, but Zhao just laughed. 

Zuko gave another pained groan and hung his head. “You can’t-“ He started, but Zhao took advantage of his weakness and forced him up against the wall, face pressing into the cold metal, unscarred side down. “Oh, but I can.” He sneered. 

Zuko grunted and struggled, but it became apparent that whatever drug he’d been given was affecting more than just his bending. Zhao was able to wrestle him into ropes that wrapped around his chest and torso and bound his arms to his sides. He didn’t even need any help from the attending guards — a very impressive feat considering the Zuko that had existed a few minutes ago. He grabbed Zuko by the back of his shirt collar and held him there while one of the guards opened the door to the cell. The same cell that held Aang, Sokka and Katara. Zuko struggled weakly but his strength was gone. Zhao jerked him away from the wall, forced him in front of the open cell door, and shoved him forward. He chuckled meanly. “Sleep tight.” 

Zuko was only half-conscious at that point and he stumbled forward, tripped over the threshold, and landed hard on his front. He was able to twist himself midair enough where it was his shoulder — not his face — that took the brunt of the force, and he laid on his side as he settled on to the cold, hard, floor. He let out a weak moan as the door was slammed behind him and he watched Zhao and his men walk away before his half-lidded eyes sunk closed and he fell into unconsciousness. 

The kids just stared at him for a moment, giving his lifeless body a wide berth. Unsure what to think, Aang was the first one to do something. “Zuko?” He asked tentatively. “Shh!” Katara hissed. “Are you trying to wake him up?!” Sokka crept towards him and leaned over the lifeless body to run his finger over the dried blood of the injection site on Zuko’s inner arm. “I don’t think we have to worry about that for now.” He said. 

“Well that’s good. And it looked like he was having trouble firebending, too, so that’s good.” Said Katara, eyeing him warily. 

“Why do you think Zhao threw him in prison with us?” Asked Aang. “I know they’re enemies, but Zuko is still Fire Nation.” 

Sokka was still leaned over the prince, examining him for any signs of life or danger. “Well, Zhao did say something about Zuko being a traitor or an enemy or something like that. Maybe he did something we don’t know about.” He said. 

“Like what?” Asked Katara. “If we know one thing about Zuko it’s that he  loves the Fire Nation. What could he possibly have done that would make him an enemy?” 

Sokka shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think his beef with Zhao goes a little deeper than them both hunting the Avatar. Did you see how he held those flames up close to his face? To Zuko!” Sokka gestured at his scar. “Even I thought that was messed up, and I hate him.” 

Aang considered this. “You’re right. Zhao really does seem to hate Zuko, and he doesn’t look like he’s holding anything back, either. I mean, taking away his bending? I don’t know about the Fire Nation, but the Air Nomads considered it a crime.” 

Sokka nodded in agreement and ran his finger over the small wound where the needle had gone in once again. “You’re right, Aang. Bending suppressants are banned in all four nations. I don’t know how Zhao even got his hands on whatever drugs he gave to Zuko.” 

“Well, however he did it, I’m glad. I’m finding I like Zuko much better when he’s unconscious.” Katara said, arms crossed. 

Aang and Sokka agreed, and they left Zuko to his drug-induced sleep, unsure of what the future held. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is shorter than i wouldve wanted but whatever. 
> 
> tw///
> 
> things get kind of molest-y in this chapter. I cant decide if I should change this fics rating from teen to mature because it goes moderately in depth but nothing actually happens. basically, zhao rips zukos shirt off and zuko thinks hes going to rape him but HE DOESNT!! THERE IS NO RAPE OR SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THIS FIC!!! but zuko thinks that there will be and he feels powerless and terrified and it might be triggering for some readers so if thats you im going to leave a chapter summary in the end of chapter notes so you can get a plot rundown without having to read this chapter. 
> 
> also there is more needles and non consensual drugging and beating and burning and swearing. there is also some semi-graphic torture, but I don’t think it’s too bad.

Zuko woke up slowly, which was quite frightening and also pretty awkward for the gaang. They first noticed he was beginning to stir when they heard his lips smacking together. Sokka could see tightness in his temple and jaw, and he kept opening and closing his mouth. “What is he doing? Is he awake?” Asked Aang. 

That was when they all heard a terrible gritty noise and they watched his jaw tighten again. He was grinding his teeth. Sokka said as much and added that he thought that meant he would be waking up soon. He didn’t say it out loud, but the reason he knew that was because Katara always ground her teeth before she woke up. It was how he could tell she was coming out of a deep sleep. He wondered what Zuko had been dreaming about. 

Not long after the teeth grinding started, Zuko started to make small noises and movements. He would grunt and shift his position slightly. At one point he rolled over and his back was facing them. Sokka watched the pale back of his arm where it was restrained at his side. It started shifting, like Zuko was trying to move, but the ropes held him. It was this resistance that appeared to wake him up fully, as his muscles began to flex and tense, and he started to struggle. 

Sokka didn’t know what to do. Zuko was facing away from them, so he couldn’t see them. Did he even know they were there? Or did he think he was alone. Did he remember his fight with Zhao? How much did he remember? Did he know where he was? Should someone say something? How would he react once he realized he was stuck in prison with them? 

Sokka struggled to answer these questions, but luckily, and Sokka couldn’t believe he was thinking this, Zhao saved the day. He came ambling up to the cell, this time accompanied by only a single guard, and stood glancing down at Zuko condescendingly. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” He purred. Sokka couldn’t see Zuko’s face but he could imagine the kind of look he was giving right now. “What do you want with me?” He asked tensely. 

Zhao chuckled and waltzed into the cell, standing over Zuko and making a _tsk tsk tsk_ sound with his tongue. He squatted down and forced his prince into a sitting position, propped up against the wall so they were at about the same height. “A man can’t come to check on his prisoners without a reason?” He said insincerely. Zuko glared. “I will never be your prisoner!” 

Suddenly, Zhao dropped his kind persona and let his true colors show. He grabbed Zuko harshly by the collar and stood up, dragging him up with him and pinning him roughly against the wall. “You are a waste and a failure!” He spat. “You belong in prison.” 

Zuko reacted harshly to that and struggled and thrashed. “Get your hands of me you son of a bitch! I swear to God!” 

Zhao laughed. “What are you gonna do, bite me?” 

“Don’t think I won’t!” 

Sokka watched this conflict unfold. He noticed that the whole time Zhao had him pinned up against the wall, Zuko was doing something with his hand. It had little mobility, being strapped there at his side, but he could bend at the wrist and his fingers were free to make a rapid flicking motion. Sometimes, Sokka thought he saw a spark or two jump from the hand, but he couldn’t be sure. 

Zhao started yelling. He tore into Zuko and got right in his face, misting him with spit, no doubt. Zuko kept making that flicking motion, more desperately than before. Zhao reached up and pulled himself even closer to Zuko. The motion rumpled his clothes, and his shirt became partially untucked from his trousers and hiked up on his body, exposing an area of bare skin just above his hip. Zuko noticed this. 

He stared intently at it as Zhao continued to yell at him, flicking his fingers more intensely than ever. He flicked closer and closer to that patch of exposed skin until his flicking stopped abruptly and he pressed his whole hand over Zhao’s hip. 

The man screamed and jumped back in pain and surprise, letting go of Zuko’s collar and clutching his hip. Zuko smirked. “Bastard!” Zhao howled at the prince and lunged at him, releasing his hip and revealing a red burn in the shape of a handprint. So Zuko was able to firebend a little bit after all. 

Sokka couldn’t believe he was thinking this, but  _go Zuko!_

“Bastard!” Zhao repeated and gave Zuko a jerk. “You’re not supposed to be able to do that!” 

Zuko didn’t seem to mind being manhandled because he had not lost the smug look from his face. “Maybe you just underestimated me.” He smirked. 

Zhao seemed to calm down a bit, but into a cool, vengeance-craving type of evil. He glared and licked his teeth as he lifted a flaming palm up into Zuko’s line of sight. “This calls for retaliation...” He growled. 

Zuko seemed more indignant than scared by the threat and cocked an eyebrow disapprovingly. “What are you gonna do, burn my face? Because no one’s ever done THAT before!” He spat. 

Sokka was surprised to see Zuko act so snotty. His only experiences with him were painfully dramatic and serious. But it made sense. Zuko was a prince after all. There was definitely a spoiled brat somewhere in that warrior. 

Zhao glared back at him and made the fire dance around his fingers tantalizingly. “I’ve thought about it, I admit, but I think I’m going to go a more original route. I want people to know what you did, and since we lack a proper audience this time, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make your scar a little more distinct. Not even a scar, really, I think it’s more of a brand. Would you like to see what I mean?” 

Zuko glared. “What do you think?” He huffed. 

Zhao chuckled. “Well, I don’t really care, because I’m going to show you anyways.” With that he used one hand to hold Zuko in place and the other to tear the front of Zuko’s shirt open, past the ropes, to expose his bare chest. 

A shocked and almost terrified look crossed Zuko’s face as he registered what was happening to him and he began to thrash and writhe against his captor with renewed fervor. “What the fuck are you doing?! Get your goddamn hands off of me you dirty old man! Leave me alone! Stop! Stop it!” He fought harder than Sokka had ever seen before, and it made the Water Tribesmen gulp as he imagined Zhao’s intentions. 

“Shut up and take it, Zuko! You deserve this and everything else!” The commander growled, pressing a hand into Zuko’s chest and forcing him up against the wall. He let that hand wander across the prince’s body, dragging it across his breast, flicking the nipple with his thumb, and caressing down the side of his torso until his hand settled on his slender waist, right above his hip. His thumb was exploring the edge of his abs, but it held him tight as Zuko continued to struggle, his bare chest open and exposed for Zhao’s hands to explore. 

Sokka saw the way the commander looked at that bare chest, glancing him up and down, judging him like a piece of meat. Assessing him. Zuko writhed and twisted, and he had a kind of look written across his face that Sokka had never seem on him before. Fear. Zuko was actually scared. Zhao continued to eye him up and down, casually tracing the lines of his body while he struggled. He was letting him tire himself out. Sokka shuddered at the thought of what he wanted him to be tired for. He definitely knew why Zuko was afraid. And it looked like Zuko was getting tired. 

“Get off me, you disgusting old creep! Stop! Stop it!” Zuko cried, but Zhao just chuckled. Zuko was getting a slightly crazed look in his eye. “Zhao, please!” He yelped, his voice getting higher in his desperation. “Don’t do this, I’m only sixteen!” 

At that exclamation, Zhao let out a sharp, “HA!” And his face broke out in a condescending smile. “Is that what you thought I was going to do to you? Relax, Zuko! I’m not going to  _molest you_ _,_ I’m just looking for fresh skin to burn.” He let the words slide off his tongue slimily and mockingly. 

Zuko’s face showed surprised relief for a second before he let anger take over once more. He glared hatefully. “Die!” He spat. 

Zhao ignored him and seemed to situate him so his shoulders were even, his back was flat, and he was standing square, with his bare chest exposed. The expanse of smooth, ivory, skin presented itself like a blank canvas to Zhao, who chuckled sadistically and matched himself up so his body was covering Zuko’s and Sokka couldn’t see what was happening anymore. 

All he could see was Zuko’s face, who was looking down with his teeth on edge and a fire in his eyes. He glanced up at Team Avatar for a moment, and accidentally made eye contact with Sokka before quickly looking back down at Zhao. He glared down at him for a second more before his eyes bulged wide and screwed themselves shut, and he let out a scream of pain. He threw his head back so it hit the wall and tried to scramble to escape the pain, but Zhao held him fast. He struggled and clenched his jaw and Sokka could see a tear well in his eye from the intensity of the pain. Every second that passed, Sokka thought  _this has to be the last one_ _._ But Zhao kept at it and Zuko kept screaming as second after second crawled by. 

When the commander finally relented, Zuko took a huge breath, but before he got a chance to do anything else, the screaming began again, and another eternity passed where Zuko was lost in pain and Zhao kept burning and burning and burning him. 

When he relented for the second time, Zuko seemed to be losing more and more of his composure. He was gasping for breath, his face wet with sweat and his eyes red. When he looked up at the gaang this time, there was pleading in his face. 

Zhao stepped back and examined his work, giving Sokka the chance to see what was happening. A large number seven appeared to be seared into the skin of his pectoral. Why seven? 

Zhao stepped in front of him and resumed his torturous burning once more, ripping even more horrendous sounds from poor Zuko, and Sokka winced as he imagined what Zhao’s fingers looked like searing into the soft pale skin of his chest, cauterizing a wound that didn’t exist, scarring him for life. 

When Zhao stood back for the final time, Zuko could barely stand. The pain had taken over him and he was gasping and stuttering. Zhao was practically holding him up by his collar, but he looked down proudly at the job he had done. Sokka saw it too and realized that he hadn’t been making a number seven, but a letter Z. It stood there, stark, red, and agitated, on the pristine, otherwise unmarred chest. 

Zhao was looking at the disheveled prince with condescension again. “Do you like it, Zuko? It’s a Z for Zhao. I figured since you found it appropriate to leave your mark on me that you would have no problem receiving the same treatment yourself. Now you have two scars to remind you of your shame. Enjoy them.” He let go of Zuko’s collar and took a step away from him towards the exit, but stopped. “Oh, guard? Before we go, maybe we’d better give him more of that stuff for good measure. We wouldn’t want anymore firebending coming from him, would we?” 

Alarm crossed Zuko’s face. 

“Actually, sir, I’d have to recommend against that. We’ve already given him the maximum dosage, any more could be dangerous.” The guard said. Zhao glared. “Did I ask for your recommendation, soldier? No! Now give me the thing!” The guard complied rapidly, fearful, and Zhao grabbed the syringe out of his hand with anger. 

Zuko, weakened though he was, still bristled as Zhao approached him with the drug. He yelled and struggled and fought as best he could, but it was really no match for Zhao, who overpowered him and stuck the needle in his arm easily. As the drug began to take affect, Zuko shouted slurred insults and refused to sit, despite struggling to stand, and Zhao got fed up. He kicked him in the gut and threw him in the corner, his chin touching his chest, and left him burned, beaten, and dripping blood on the cold metal floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those of you who decided to skip this chapter, basically what happens is that Zuko wakes up and he can’t firebend, and then zhao comes in and is basically just being a shithole and zuko gets really angry and since firebending is fueled by emotion, he is able to burn zhao a little bit. This makes zhao super mad so he gets back at him by burning/branding the letter Z on to his chest, and then he gives zuko more of the anti-bending drug and he passes out again. 
> 
> for those of you who did read, do you think I should change the rating to mature?? i cant decide so comment your thoughts on that thank you!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> zuko is actually awake and interacts with the gaang for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just realized my first two chapters was just beating up zuko so stuff actually happens in this one but zuko is a massive dick in it because its season one 
> 
> tw///
> 
> swearing, spit

Sokka stared at the branded body of his enemy that lay unconscious, bound, and propped up in the corner. It was weird to see. In his mind, as well as his memories, Zuko was always dignified, wearing full armor, with his battleship and his crew at the ready, wielding a whip of fire, and ready for combat wherever it found him. But seeing him now, he was completely the opposite. He was wearing his boots and trousers, no armor, bound by ropes; his undershirt was ripped open and his body lay exposed. He bore the mark of his enemy. The scarlet and blistering Z that painted itself across his chest made Sokka shudder. 

He felt conflicted. Zuko was his enemy, there was no doubt about that, but seeing him in such a state, fallen from grace, being treated so harshly by someone who was supposed to be on his side, Sokka didn’t like it. He didn’t feel bad for Zuko. Nobody felt bad for him! It was Zuko! The evil, spoiled, prince who had invaded his village, burned down Kiyoshi Island, and hunted Aang ever since he came out of the ice! There was no pity to be had for such a person. But that didn’t mean Sokka had to like it. 

“Why do you think Zhao is treating him that way? He didn’t do anything like that to us, and I’m the Avatar!” Aang said. 

“Well, none of us fought him like Zuko did, either.” Sokka added plainly, trying not to let his dislike of the treatment get in the way of his logical judgement. 

“You can’t seriously be justifying it!” Katara interjected. Her natural sympathy for others must be clouding her judgement. 

“I’m not justifying it! But it IS Zuko. There are worse things in the world than him getting beat up.” 

Aang, ever the mediator, settled their disagreement. “Okay, you guys, let’s not turn on each other. I don’t think Zhao is treating Zuko very well either, Katara, but I also agree with Sokka that there is nothing we can do about it, so let’s just focus on getting out of here.” 

Sokka agreed with Aang, but he couldn’t seem to brainstorm escape plans. His thoughts and his eyes kept wandering back to Zuko. That terrible burn on his chest. The way his ponytail slumped over his face because of how low his head was hanging. The bruise forming beneath his ribs where Zhao had kicked him. The way his voice had sounded when he pleaded. “Zhao, please! Don’t do this, I’m only sixteen!” He was only a year older than Sokka. 

Without his consent, his body got up and made its way over to him. His hands started picking at the knots in the ropes. He allowed himself to be guided by instinct. 

“Sokka, what are you doing?!” Aang and Katara exclaimed at the same time. Sokka didn’t know, so he just let whatever words fall out of his mouth. “I’m not leaving him like this.” 

He didn’t look back to see what they did, but neither responded, so he kept on working on the knots. They were really hard to get undone. Sokka had never seen knots like this in his life. He sat hunched over Zuko’s body, picking away at each knot, but he wasn’t making any progress. 

He was too in the zone to register the slight movements of the body underneath him, and the smacking of lips and grinding of teeth was drowned out by the sound of the massive vessel underway. Zuko was faintly aware of someone hovering over his body and doing something with whatever the thing was that was across his chest. Ropes, maybe? Yeah, it was ropes, he remembered. Zhao. Right. He didn’t have any desire to open his eyes and see what kind of bleak reality he would be met with, so he kept his eyes closed and allowed whatever was happening with his ropes to keep happening. 

Sokka was really going to town on those knots. They were just so damn tricky. The rope was frayed and the fibers made themselves into even frizzier, denser, knot nests that had to be undone before the main knot could be undone. He tried different angles, maneuvering his body over Zuko’s in different ways. He peered in close, his nose practically touching the firebender’s chest, but not quite. He situated his upper body so his forearms were mirroring Zuko’s collarbones. As he relaxed and sunk into the position, his elbow dipped down and touched the skin of his chest. Right on the fresh, blistering, brand that Zhao had inflicted less than an hour ago. 

Zuko shot awake and cried out in pain, trying to jerk away from the sensation but unable to escape. He threw his head back and pressed himself against the wall, closing his eyes and grimacing as Sokka, equally as startled, nearly jumped out of his skin as he was trying to scramble back and away. 

Zuko was the first to recover. He jerked his head up and glared at Sokka. “What the hell were you doing to me?!” He demanded. Sokka looked like he was about to pee his pants, but answered anyways. “I was trying to help you, I swear! I was untying you! I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m sorry!” He insisted. Zuko glared. He struggled against his restraints for a moment to no avail before looking back at Sokka. “Then why am I still stuck?” He demanded. 

Sokka crawled back towards the prince, intending to resume picking. “I can’t get the knots, and we don’t have anything to cut them with.” He complained. Zuko pulled back away from his ministrations, too distrustful to allow Sokka to touch him just yet. “You get your hands away from me!” He cried, indignant, but Sokka had been hyperfocused on the task and was blinded by his desire to continue. “I’m just trying to-“ 

Katara cut in. She was not about to sit there and watch her brother try to wrangle the fire prince into cooperation. “Sokka, leave him alone.” She commanded. Sokka relented and Zuko huffed. “There’s got to be another way to get him out.” Katara continued. “What if we used bending?” 

Zuko shot her a look. “That’s a great idea, why didn’t I think of that? Oh right, maybe because _I_ _can’t bend_!” Katara shot him a look right back. “I wasn’t talking about  _firebending_ , genius. Maybe I could waterbend you out.” 

“Yeah, with what water?” Zuko spat brattily, and Sokka remembered once again that he was definitely a prince. But he was always one to defend his sister so he took the offensive. “Well, she could spit-bend you out.” He suggested smugly. 

Zuko made eye contact with both of them as he hocked a loogie on the floor. 

“ _No_ ,”  Katara growled and waterbended Zuko’s spit off the floor before sending it right back in his face. His sour expression didn’t change. “I’m just saying we could think of something.” 

“Pee bending?” Asked Sokka, slightly intrigued by his own idea.

_“No.”_ Zuko and Katara barked in unison. 

Aang, previously silent, let out his boyish laughter at that. Zuko glowered, his own saliva dripping down his face. “Aww, I got you, Zuko.” Aang said genially and sent a blast of air at his enemy, drying him off, albeit a tad ungracefully. Zuko’s expression didn’t change. 

“Oh! What about you, Aang?” Sokka suggested. “Think you could cut him free with a good old  _AIRBENDING SLICE_!!”

The Avatar considered it. “I could...” He said, thoughtfully. “But I think that might airbending slice him open.” 

Katara grumbled. “Fine by me.” She huffed. 

Sokka stroked his chin and plopped down in the middle of the floor in thought. “Hmm... so the firebender can’t firebend, the waterbender can’t waterbend, and airbending won’t work... Ugh, if only we had an earthbender!” 

“That wouldn’t work either, Sokka.” Said Katara. He groaned. 

To everyone’s surprise, Zuko piped up. “What about you?” He asked, looking at Aang. “You’re a firebender, you can burn the ropes and cut me free!” Sokka couldn’t help but notice how surprisingly genuine the typically grumpy firebender sounded. 

“What? What do you mean? I’m not a firebender.” Aang said. 

“Yeah you are. You’re the Avatar. You can bend all the elements!” 

Aang began to chew on his lip. He was nervous. “I don’t know... I don’t know how to firebend! And I haven’t even started learning water or earth yet.” 

“But you  _can_ do it. It’s not that hard.” 

“If I try... will you help me? Will you tell me how to do it?” 

Zuko clenched his jaw and looked away in conflict for a moment. He seemed unsure. At first Sokka couldn’t understand why. If it was him in that position, he would jump at any opportunity to get out of those ropes! It’s not like instructing basic firebending could be that hard for a master like Zuko. But as he looked at the firebender’s conflicted eyes and gritted teeth, he realized it  _was_ hard for him. 

Zuko, Prince Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation Zuko, had to teach firebending to the  _Avatar_ . The Avatar! His sworn enemy! The biggest threat to his nation! The person he was dedicating his life to capturing! And now he had to  help him?! Sokka could definitely see why Zuko would be conflicted about that. 

But the firebender swallowed his pride. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them and pressing his lips together. “Fine.” He huffed. And then, underneath his breath, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” 

Aang smiled awkwardly before coming up to sit beside his enemy and looking at him with bright eyes. “Okay! So, what do I do?” He asked. 

“Just... try it. See if you  _can_ do it before looking for help.” Zuko stuttered out uncomfortably. He was holding on to the feeble hope that Aang would just know how to do it and not require instruction. Helping the Avatar would feel like treason. 

As a matter of fact, it WAS treason! Helping him escape from a Fire Nation vessel? He had to stop thinking about it or he would never be able to do it. 

Aang wrapped his little hands around the rope and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in and out, centering himself, before grunting and attempting to firebend. He looked like he was constipated. After a moment, he stopped and looked up. “I can’t do it, Zuko! Help me!” 

Zuko growled. “Of course you can’t do it, not like that! Fire isn’t like air, you can’t force it. You have to fuel it. Take deep breaths and feel your inner flame grow and shrink with the oxygen.” 

“My inner what?” 

“Your inner flame. It’s like a little fire inside you. It gets stronger or weaker depending on how you feel and what you do. Fire is the element of passion; it’s emotional. That’s why I was able to burn Zhao. He made me so angry that my inner flame was able to grow strong enough to overpower the bending suppressants for a moment, and I burned him.” 

Sokka cocked an eyebrow in surprise and interest. He had never heard Zuko speak about anything really, aside from yelling and stuff, but he was surprisingly articulate. And his explanation of firebending  made _sense_. Sokka imagined his own inner flame swelling with emotion. Aang tilted his head. “Passion, huh? Let me try again. Let me think about something I’m passionate about.” 

He grabbed the ropes again and closed his eyes. This time he did not try to force the fire out. He inhaled deeply, and on the exhale, fire leapt to life in his hands. Sokka couldn’t see what happened exactly, but both Aang and Zuko cried out in pain and jerked away from each other. 

“Ow! It burned me!” Aang cried. The rope around Zuko’s chest had a blackened spot where the Avatar’s hand had been, and next to it, a pink spot where the soft, white skin had been burned. “Yeah, it’s fire! It burns!” Zuko snapped meanly. 

“But I didn’t think firebenders could be burned by their own fire!” 

“Can’t airbenders get blown by their own wind?! Of course firebenders can get burned! We’re people too!” 

The entire cell forcefully ignored the two prominent burns that painted themselves across Zuko’s body. Even the fire prince himself realized what he’d said the second the words left his mouth. 

Aang spoke before the silence became intensely awkward. “Yeah, I know you can get burned, but not by your OWN fire! I mean, it’s not like Zhao-“ 

Zuko cut him off sharply. “Stop talking before you say something you’ll regret.” He snapped curtly. Aang snapped his jaw shut. After a beat or two, he tentatively spoke again. “I just didn’t think it was your own fire that could burn you. I know it can be somebody else’s.” 

Zuko looked at him with distain. “Yeah, well it can. Fire is fire — it doesn’t matter where it comes from.” 

“So how can I keep from burning myself?” 

Zuko took a deep breath. He seemed to expel his sourness and distain from his body on the exhale, and looked at his firebending pupil evenly. “You have to control your emotions. Your bending is fueled by them. Add more emotion and your fire grows bigger, take it away and your fire stays in line. Breathe in, let your flame swell, feel your passion — but don’t get lost in it. Try again.” 

Aang nodded thoughtfully, digesting the information. “Ok, try again.” Deep breath. He put his hands on the rope again, and looked up at the fire prince. “Uh, Sifu Zuko?” He asked. 

Zuko recoiled angrily, his disgusted face stricken with hatred and rage. “Don’t ever call me that!” He exploded. “I’m only doing this because I don’t have any other option! Just because we have a common enemy DOES NOT mean I’m on your side! Don’t treat me like I am! We ARE NOT friends!” 

Aang skittered back in surprise, rattled, and looked up at him in frightened shock. “S-sorry, Zuko.” He stammered. The firebender just huffed in response. But Aang, ever forgiving, cautiously righted himself and approached his enemy again, putting his hands on the ropes and looking up at him like he did before. “I was just curious, how am I supposed to control my emotion in firebending?” 

Zuko cocked a disinterested eyebrow at him. “You’re a fucking monk — figure it out yourself.” He spat. 

Aang looked hurt by this dismissive answer, and his eyes grew big. Thinking about it, Sokka realized it was probably the first time anyone had ever sworn at the kid. He couldn’t imagine the Air Nomads were big on profanity. But the airbender would not be discouraged. “I just thought there might be a special firebender way to do it. I guess not. I’m only asking because I don’t want to burn you again, Zuko.” 

Zuko looked down at his own chest bitterly before looking up and setting his jaw in a cold, tight, jaded expression. “I don’t care about burns anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk why i didnt write the actual burning the ropes scene but i feel like the “i dont care about burns anymore” line just has such a gravity to it and a kind of dramatic finality that i really liked so i wanted to end it there. idk if im gonna write the next chapter where he’s already out of the ropes or im gonna write aang burning him out but its not like anything eventful happens aang just figures out firebending enough to burn the ropes and then zuko is free. 
> 
> i dont think im gonna have him say thank you because he didnt say thank you to Song in that one episode where they were super nice to him and he has even less character development rn but im trying to think of something dramatic he could do like with the burn on his chest and trying to pull his shirt over it or something idk my mind is dry asf rn but if you have any cool ideas for what he could do leave them in the comments :) 
> 
> i basically know where i want this to go plot wise but as for individual chapters and moments i have a lot of room for creativity so please leave your ideas in the comments they are my biggest source of inspiration!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tbh not much happens in this chapter its just the teaser to The Big Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is another pretty short chapter but the next one is gonna be good 😌 
> 
> also i fucked around and changed the title dont be worried its the same fic im just weird about titles and i was like “come on you can do so much better than burned” so i did but yeah thats all
> 
> tw  
> burning

It took Aang a couple more tries to figure out firebending. He didn’t burn Zuko again, but he would pull away as soon as the flame grew even slightly. Zuko yelled at him, but Aang was timid of fire. Eventually, through repeated attempts on the same stretch of rope, the fiber was weakened and charred enough where Zuko was able to free himself by flexing and straining against it until the tendrils snapped. 

As soon as the bonds released their pressure and slid down his body, Zuko let out a tense breath. He did not look relieved. He rubbed at the spots where the rope had cut into his skin and tried to pull his ripped shirt over himself so it covered his chest. It didn’t stay. The ripped edge of the fabric was right over the burned Z on his chest, and it looked like it was irritating the wound with every movement he made. He forcefully ignored it, but it looked painful. 

“Do you guys have a plan to get out of here?” He asked. Sokka couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t show an ounce of gratitude over being freed from his ropes. Clearly, Katara did too, because she glared at him and began to speak. “What’s the matter with you?!” She demanded. “Aang frees you from those ropes and you don’t even say thank you?! You’re his biggest enemy and he didn’t even hesitate to save you when you’re in trouble! The least you could do is show a little gratitude!” 

Zuko matched her glare. “Zhao is his biggest enemy, not me. And I’m not thanking anybody for anything until I’m off this damn ship. If you want gratitude then you can stop yelling at me and work on getting out of here. Do you guys have a plan or not?” 

Brat. Spoiled. Snotty. Rude. Dramatic. Ungrateful. Condescending. Arrogant. Those were all words Sokka thought to describe Zuko right now. What kind of a person said stuff like that?! Zuko, clearly. But he had to admit, unless one of them ruffled his feathers, Zuko seemed at least tolerant of Team Avatar’s presence and willing to work with them on an escape plan. Maybe that was his way of offering a hand of friendship? Zuko’s voice rang in his ears. “We ARE NOT friends!” He had yelled. Okay, maybe he was just willing to suck it up and work with them so he could get off the ship.

Either way, Sokka figured he would definitely be useful in planning and executing an escape operation. He was the oldest, he had the most knowledge on Fire Nation vessels, and he was the strongest among them. Sokka wished he could compete with Zuko for that title, but the firebender was sitting right there and his shirt wasn’t the only thing that was ripped. 

That didn’t even mention the fact that Zuko was the best fighter among them. He had the most training and skill, and he was the most ruthless. Of course, he couldn’t firebend, but Sokka had to imagine he was decently skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well. He would definitely be useful. 

“No,” Sokka said, answering Zuko’s question. “We don’t have a plan just yet. You think you could help us out with that?” Katara gave Sokka a look for brushing off her comments about saying thank you to Aang, but Sokka ignored her. Katara could sometimes get hung up on small stuff like that. If Zuko was too stuck up to say thank you to Aang, there was nothing they could do about it. Might as well drop it instead of pestering him and getting on his bad side. 

“Whatever I have to do to get out of here.” Zuko said. 

“Great!” Sokka chirped. “So before we get ahead of ourselves, we have to figure out how we get off the ship, not just out of the cell. Are there lifeboats on this thing? Maybe we could steal one and escape on it.” 

“Won’t work.” Said Zuko curtly. “Zhao will just sink us or send another lifeboat after us. We’re worse off drowning in the ocean than we are in here.” 

Katara took offense to that. “Seriously, Zuko? I’m a waterbender!” She exclaimed. Zuko glanced at her. “Hardly.” He scoffed. Katara was indignant. “More of a bender than you!” She cried. That one got under Zuko’s skin. He glared at her, his face said he was ready to fight. 

“Okay, okay, let’s not fight you guys, let’s just focus on getting out of here.” Sokka pried the two apart in a mediating voice. Zuko relented with a huff. 

“We could use Appa.” Aang suggested. 

“Appa?” Zuko cocked an eyebrow. 

“My sky bison! He’s my animal guide, we have a deep spiritual connection. He’ll know where to be. If we can just make it to the deck, we can get away on him.” 

Zuko considered that. He didn’t know how comfortable he was with the idea of flying on that huge fluffy thing, but Zhao had already stripped him of anything he had to lose. “That could work.” He said. “But how are we gonna get to the deck?” 

“That I don’t know.” 

Katara kneaded her eyebrows together in thought. “If only I had some water...” She complained. “Hey,” Said Sokka. “I don’t think pee bending was a terrible idea.” 

Katara glared. “Ugh, for the last time, I am NOT—“ 

But Zuko cut her off. “Wait, he might actually be on to something.” He said, thinking. 

“WHAT?! That’s disgusting! How can you even say that?!” Exclaimed Katara. “I am NOT bending anyone’s pee!”

Zuko’s gears were turning. “No, you’re right, that is disgusting. But what if Aang firebends the door handle to the cell to make the metal hot, and then one of us tells a guard that we have to go to the bathroom? He’ll unlock the door, and then he’ll burn his hand when he goes to open it, which will distract him long enough for us to bust past him and escape to the deck!” 

Sokka couldn’t believe Zuko had just come up with a better plan than him. Sokka was the plan guy! Couldn’t Zuko just be the guy with the bigger muscles? Now he had to be better at plans than him too?! It wasn’t fair. At least Sokka was still the boomerang guy. He figured that Zuko was probably decent at hand to hand combat, but he wasn’t much without his bending. Yeah. Zuko could be the plan guy and the muscles guy, but Sokka was the “doesn’t rely on bending” guy. Yeah, he was okay with that. 

“You know, that might actually work.” Said Aang thoughtfully. 

“So long as I don’t have to bend any pee.” Katara said. 

“Sounds good to me.” Added Sokka. So it was a plan. 

Now that Aang had a little bit of practice with firebending, it wasn’t too hard for him to heat up the handle of the cell door. “Is that good, Zuko?” He asked, forcefully suppressing the urge to call him “sifu”. Zuko licked his finger and tapped the metal. “A little more.” He said. “I should be able to hear it hiss.” Aang nodded and kept going. “Not too hot though,” Zuko warned. “If it’s glowing red, the guard will know what’s up.” 

“How’s that?” Asked the Avatar. Zuko licked his finger and tapped the metal again, but this time he was met with a hiss. “Good, now call for someone before it cools off.” 

“Wait.” Interjected Sokka. “Don’t they think you’re still tied up? Won’t they know something is going on when they see you free?” 

“You’re right.” Said Zuko. He grabbed the ropes and leaned up against the corner where he had been before. He wrapped the ropes around himself so he appeared to still be restrained, putting the burned ends behind his back so they couldn’t be seen. “Pretend like I haven’t woken up yet. They put me in here with you because we’re enemies, they want us to fight. They don’t expect us to be working together, so we can take them by surprise.” He slumped himself up against the wall and closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious, while Aang called for a guard. 

“Um, excuse me? Guard? Excuse me? I uh, I have to go to the bathroom. Can anyone hear me?” Aang asked quietly. No response. “Hellooooo? Anybody?” Zuko rolled his eyes under his eyelids. “Anyone? I gotta go to the bathroom!” Aang hollered. Still no response. Zuko’s short patience was all used up. “Oh for God’s sake,” He griped, and pounded loudly on the hollow-sounding metal walls of the cell. “GUARD!” He yelled at top volume. A pair of footsteps began approaching their cell immediately. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?!” Sokka hissed. “Oh, shut up.” Zuko grumbled before feigning unconsciousness once more. 

“What’s this?” Asked the guard, gruffly. 

“I have to go to the bathroom.” Said Aang. The guard sighed. “Very well,” He grumbled and stuck his key in the lock and turned it. Zuko couldn’t see what was happening, but he heard the bolt slide back and his heart jumped in excitement. The guard reached for the door handle, but recoiled with a cry when he felt the heat. “Now!” Yelled Sokka, and Aang sent a huge air blast at the guard, tossing the guard back against the wall and throwing the door open. 

Katara watched the man’s expression change from surprised to more surprised when he saw Zuko jump up and follow Team Avatar out of the cell and down the corridor. Zuko saw the guard struggle to get to his feet, and recognized him as the same guard who had helped Zhao throw him in prison in the first place and given him bending suppressants. That bastard! Zuko grabbed him by the front of the shirt and flung him into the cell, locking the door and taking the key with him as he sprinted away. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its the big exciting action scene!! the great escape!! woo! however do prepare to be underwhelmed because this bitch is SHIT at writing action scenes tee hee 
> 
> tw//
> 
> swearing   
> blood

Sokka ran down the corridor and was met with blinding daylight as he whipped around the corner. Aang sent a gust of wind at two random crew members on deck, knocking them over, before yelling for Appa. It was only now that Sokka considered, what if Appa didn’t come? What if he was two far away to hear Aang? The Avatar had seemed pretty confident in their spiritual connection, but Sokka didn’t know how much he believed in that. 

Katara was finally able to help with a little bit of waterbending, but as much as Sokka hated to admit it, Zuko was kind of right when he said Katara was “hardly” a waterbender. She could move the water around, sure, but she didn’t really know what she was doing. It was hard for him to choose a good distance to be from her. He wanted to be close enough to protect her, but too close and she might accidentally freeze him to the deck again. 

Zuko burst out onto the deck with a wall of flames. Sokka’s heart jumped. Did he get his bending back? That question was quickly answered for him in the negative when instead of landing gracefully on his feet, his body was thrown roughly onto the deck with the force of the fire blast behind him. He scrambled to get to his feet but the culprit behind the firebending was already upon him — and it was Zhao. 

The commander pounced on him and tried to pin him down. “Escaping with the Avatar?!” Zhao roared. “That’s low even for a traitorous bastard like you!” 

“You gave me no choice!” Zuko snarled and wriggled out from underneath him, readying himself for a fight. Zhao grabbedat him but Zuko was too fast. 

He still held the key to the jail cell where the guard was locked in his hand. He hurled it over the side of the boat. It plunked in the water. 

Two guards with swords on their hips jumped him at the same time. Sokka’s heart jumped. He needed help! He glanced back at Katara and Aang anxiously... would they be okay if he left to help Zuko?  _Should_ he go to help Zuko? It’s not like they needed him. He looked back at the prince. The crimson Z on his chest stood out even more in the sunlight. Sokka couldn’t leave him with Zhao. 

One more glance back at his sister and his friend, and he turned to aid his enemy, but froze where he stood. Zuko had somehow escaped from the grasp of the guards, stolen both of their swords, and was wielding one in each hand with expert skill. What?! Come on! 

Zuko fought off the guards and dashed towards Sokka. “Where the hell is the fluffy flying thing?!” He demanded through clenched teeth. Sokka was still too taken aback. “I didn’t know you could do SWORDS!!!” He exclaimed pitifully. Zuko was full of adrenaline and had no patience for that type of response. “Answer the fucking question! I can’t fight them off forever!” 

“I don’t know! Aang is yelling for him but I don’t think he can hear us!” 

“So we’re just sitting up here?!” 

“Yeah, kinda!” 

“Ugh!” Zuko cried out in frustration and anguish. He swiveled his head and looked wildly about the deck, surveying the chaos and analyzing details with his expertly trained eye. When he saw the yellow and orange of traditional Air Nomad clothes, he dashed over to it through the turmoil, stuck both his swords in one hand, and grabbed the Avatar roughly by the back of the shirt. “Hey! What’re you doing?! Zuko? Hey! Let go of me!” Aang cried, and Zuko gave him another hard jerk, making him stand even with his enemy, before letting go and barking, “Follow me!” 

Aang was slightly disoriented and majorly distrustful of Zuko’s intentions. “What?! Why!” He exclaimed. Zuko blocked a guard attack with his sword. “Just get to the helm!” He demanded. Aang decided to comply, but he was wary and cautious as to what the firebender might want with him at the helm. 

It was a gritty fight to the top deck where the external entrance to the control room was, Zuko and Aang even had to work together at times to get up there, but this author sucks at writing action scenes, so you can imagine the details by yourself. 

When they got there, the door was locked, obviously, and Zuko had to turn to Aang. “Cover me!” He yelled. Then he pulled off his ripped scrap of a shirt, wrapped it around his hand, and smashed the butt end of his sword into the glass window with a grunt. The glass was thick, designed to protect its sailors from the worst rain and sea and hail the ocean had to give, but it cracked. It didn’t break, but it cracked. Aang looked at it with wide eyes. Zuko was  _strong_ . 

He hit it again, and again, and it finally broke on the third time. After ridding his hand of the protective shirt and dropping his sword, he reached in through the window and unlocked the door from the inside. 

Zhao, alerted by the pounding, rushed into the control room about that time. He snatched Zuko’s wrist before he was able to retreat. They wrestled each other on opposite sides of the glass, staring daggers at each other, Zuko trying desperately to free himself from Zhao’s grasp and Zhao trying to get Zuko to cut himself on the jagged edges of the glass. 

“Aang! Get in there! It’s unlocked!” Zuko cried as he arm-wrestled the admiral. Zhao was using two hands on Zuko, and realized too late that the door was vulnerable. He reached out to lock the door with one hand, letting go of Zuko’s arm in the process. One hand on one hand was a much fairer fight, and Zuko wriggled out of his grasp right as Aang burst the door open with a gust of air. 

Finally, they were in the control room, but Zhao stood in their way. He was older and stronger and more experienced than the kids, but it was two against one. While Aang tussled with the commander, Zuko slipped by and found the controls. It was much larger and more complicated than his own ship, but the PA system was about the same, and that’s all he cared about. He cranked the volume knob all the way to the right, grabbed the microphone, and forced himself in between Aang and Zhao. He thrust the microphone into Aang’s hands as he grappled with the commander and the Avatar looked at him, confused. “Call Appa!” Zuko demanded. “I’ll hold off Zhao!” 

Zuko was too engaged in the fight to watch what Aang was doing, he just prayed he was doing it right. His heart soared with relief when he heard, through the ship’s speakers loud and clear, “APPA! APPA! YIP! YIP! APPAAAAA!” 

Aang saw Zuko get his head slammed into the control panel out of the corner of his eye and decided it was time to leave. He prayed Appa had heard him. He sent a gust of air at Zhao, sending both him and Zuko tumbling to the other side of the room, and scooted for the door, looking over his shoulder to see if the prince was behind him. 

Zuko was still grappling with Zhao, who had a firm hold on his hair and wasn’t letting go. Zuko was writhing and struggling, and Zhao couldn’t get a good grip on any other part of him, but his hair held him fast. Zuko looked ferocious, fighting like a feral dog like how he had when he had first arrived. Aang watched with huge eyes as Zuko snarled and writhed, and then reached down, touching the floor, and snatched a pearl dagger from Zhao’s boot. Teeth gritted and eyes full of fire, Zuko slashed the dagger above his head blindly and somehow managed to hit that tiny space between Zhao’s hand and the base of his ponytail, chopping off his hair and allowing him to escape. Zhao just stood there in shock for a moment, holding Zuko’s severed ponytail in his hand as Zuko and Aang escaped to the deck, the fire prince’s pearl dagger clenched tightly in his teeth. 

With a roar of frustration and defiance, Zhao ignited the hair in flames and burned it in his fist. The smell was terrible. 

Zuko immediately missed the feeling of his hair and wished he could still feel the confident snap of his ponytail when he turned his head sharply, like he was doing now. He looked behind him and saw Zhao burning his hair in rage. Part of him clenched. Even though he had lost his honor, that ponytail had still marked him as Fire Nation royalty. It meant he wasn’t completely irredeemable. It meant that if he could only capture the Avatar, he would be allowed to come back home and grow his hair out and his honor would be fully restored. Losing his hair meant that he was losing what shred of redemption he had. He really was a full blown traitor now. 

His gut twisted and he grimaced at the realization, but there was no time to wallow in it. He had made his choice. He joined the Avatar and his friends as they regrouped in the center of the deck, fighting off assailants from all sides. He cursed himself for leaving his swords up at the helm, but he had been in a hurry to escape Zhao. What he did have was that pearl dagger he had used to cut his hair off. The same one that Uncle had given to him when he was 10, and the same one that Zhao had stolen from him when he was captured. Well now Zuko had stolen it back. 

Pearl isn’t a very good material to make a blade out of. It breaks easily, it doesn’t cut very well, and it couldn’t hold its own against a regular blade. The dagger was merely decorative, one of the spoils of war that were had when General Iroh broke through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. It had belonged to the general of the opposing army. It was a sentimental item, never intended to be used in actual combat. But it was all Zuko had. He brandished it like a sword, made a few small cuts in some of Zhao’s men, but they were all properly armed. He couldn’t help but feel utterly useless in the fight, as the Avatar fought with air, Katara fought with water, and Sokka had somehow acquired a boomerang. Zuko uselessly slashed and stabbed with his little knife, but it was no good. 

One of the guards blades caught him in the arm. A big gash was sliced into his forearm, and Zuko cried out in pain. The blood was bright red and coming out fast. It ran down his arm and made his hand slippery. It was hard to hold the dagger with a bloody hand, and Zuko didn’t know how much longer he could stay fighting like this. Where was Appa?! He should’ve been able to hear Aang calling him through the loudspeaker! What was going to happen if he didn’t come? 

The clouds were growing bigger and the wind was picking up and Zuko could feel himself getting tired. He was breathing heavy and his bleeding arm was only getting worse. He was sweating from exertion and he could feel his morale dropping steadily. What was going to happen to him if this escape attempt failed? Before, his only crime was violating his banishment in pursuit of his mission. But now he could be charged with treason! Sedition! What was he going to do? And more importantly, what was his country, his _father_ , going to do to  _him_ ? 

He looked around wildly at Team Avatar, uncertainty and fear in his eyes, as his heart pounded and his mouth began to taste metallic. The wind was blowing really hard now, and one cloud in particular was getting really big. What? That wasn’t a cloud, it was Appa! 

The beast roared and as much as Zuko hated to admit it, he was intimidated. He’d never seen it close up before, it was huge! The men on the deck shot fireballs at Appa as he got within range, but Aang protected his bison by sending gusts of wind that knocked the attacks off course. 

Men began to move to the sides of the deck to make way for the massive creature as it prepared to land. Zuko stared at it with wide eyes. Appa landed hard and rumbled as the boat itself bounced in the water from the movement. 

“Hurry! Get on!” Aang cried and airbended himself up to the bison’s head. Zuko didn’t really know what he was doing or how to mount the beast. Sokka jumped up on its shoulder and grabbed onto the hair, pulling himself up into the saddle. Zuko, with his slippery hands and wounded forearm, didn’t know if he’d be able to. He looked to Katara anxiously, praying she would show him a way. She did. “Come on!” She yelled at him and grabbed his uninjured arm. She dragged him to the back of the bison and pulled him up onto the wide, flat, tail, scrambling up it like a ramp and clamboring into the saddle from behind, inviting Zuko to do the same. 

“Appa! Yip! Yip!” Aang cried from his position at the reins. The beast’s tail lifted and Zuko was embarrassed by the surprised yell he let out as the movement sent him tumbling down and dumped him in the saddle gracelessly. He scrambled to right himself and looked over the side, but Zhao’s ship was already far below him and they were ascending into the vast blue sky. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they r on appa and things get heated
> 
> tw//   
> blood  
> swearing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter isnt my fav its really dialogue heavy and im afraid some parts are confusing but whatever it is what it is

Zuko looked down at the grey ship in the blue water as it got further and further away, and he felt his heart clench. What was he going to do now? He really was a traitor. He clutched on to his wounded arm and looked uneasily at his cohorts. The wind blew his ripped shirt open. He pulled it closed over his chest, even though it hurt his burn. He probably made for quite a sight sitting there, holding his shirt closed, clutching his bloodied forearm, completely bald except for a tuft of hair where his ponytail had been on the back of his head, looking around awkwardly at a bunch of kids while riding a  _flying bison._ How was this possibly his life? 

Meanwhile, Katara was being Katara, checking everyone over, making sure they were all there and that no one was hurt, giving everyone drinks of water and such. Aang complained about the mild burn on his hand that he had gotten when he first tried to firebend Zuko out of those ropes. Zuko couldn’t even see a physical injury, and part of him suspected that the Avatar was exaggerating how hurt he was in order to get Katara to pay attention to him, but that was none of Zuko’s business. What  _was_ his business was when Katara pulled out a small first aid kit to treat her friend, and Zuko spotted a bottle of disinfectant, some cotton balls, and a roll of bandages. 

He leaned forward to grab what he needed, but Katara stopped him. “What do you think you’re doing?” She demanded. Zuko suppressed a glare and a mean remark. “I’m hurt.” He said in a voice that he hoped didn’t sound too rude, but was probably a little rude. Katara glanced down and saw his bloody wrist. “You should’ve said something when I asked if everyone was okay.” She said. Zuko bristled. “Look,” he spat and frowned. “I’m not asking for you to bandage me up and kiss it better like I’m one of your friends. You don’t have to do  _anything_ for me! Just let me stop my bleeding, okay?!” 

Katara was taken aback by the prince’s outburst. If she’d known he was hurt she  _would’ve_ offered to bandage him up and kiss him better like he was one of her friends! Why was he so defensive? Well she certainly wasn’t going to help him now. She watched as he cleaned the wound with disinfectant and wrapped the bandage around it, ripping it with his teeth. What were they going to do with him?

Zuko was wondering the same thing. What  _were_ they going to do with him? If it were up to him, they would fly around until they found his ship and his uncle, then drop him off and fly away. Or better yet, turn themselves in. Yes, wouldn’t that be nice. Or maybe they could skip his ship and his uncle and fly straight to Caldera to present themselves to his father before Zhao had a chance to tattle on him. 

Zuko shook his head to clear the thoughts away. Kind if like an etch-a-sketch. Wishful thinking never got him anywhere. Would the Avatar even be enough to redeem him now? Before he was just a disgraced prince, but now he had violated his banishment and committed treason too! No honor, no home, no ally, stuck with the enemy... He had no idea how he was going to get out of this one. 

Sokka and Aang had similar thoughts on their minds, and they and Katara got close and spoke in hushed voices so Zuko wouldn’t hear. “What are we gonna do with him?” Sokka asked. “I don’t know.” Katara admitted. “Should we let him go?” Aang suggested. “No way!” Sokka exclaimed. “He’s just gonna go right back to chasing us! We have the upper hand right now, we have to use it!” 

“Is he gonna go right back to chasing us, though? For all the talk he does about honor, I’d hope he’d honor what we just did for him.” Aang pointed out. He looked back at him. He really did look destitute. He was wiping the blood off his pearl dagger on to his pants. He looked down at it and took a deep breath before reaching up and carefully attempting to shave away the little tuft of hair that remained of his ponytail. It only sort of worked. He winced like he’d cut himself and little pieces of hair rained down upon his face, sticking to any bit of blood or sweat on his skin. He looked irritated and tried to wipe the hairs off, but he just end up spreading them around. He spat like he’d gotten some in his mouth. When he finally finished, he’d done a poor job. He looked stupid. 

Katara wanted to laugh at him, and she did a little bit, but she also felt bad for him. Not bad enough to let him go or anything, but she felt bad. “Well what do you suggest, Sokka?” She asked. “If we don’t let him go, he’s just going to run away. I know there’s three of us, but I don’t think we’ll be able to hold him hostage for very long, especially once those drugs wear off and he can firebend again.” 

Sokka considered this. Katara was right, they weren’t exactly able to keep him as a prisoner. If only there was a way to make Zuko  want to stay with them. He thought harder, tried to think about it from Zuko’s perspective. What set of circumstances could possibly make him stay? He looked at the firebender, trying to determine his needs. Unlike the rest of the group, he hadn’t had anything to drink since getting on Appa, and lord knows how long before that, so he had to be thirsty. Considering how long it had been since he’d had a chance to eat, he was probably hungry, too. He’d bandaged the cut on his wrist, but it would need to be changed eventually, not to mention that there was a big risk of infection for the burn on his chest. And as for as his ability to survive on his own, he probably had the necessary skills, but with no tools, supplies, or bending, he would be at the mercy of nature. 

Sokka turned to his friends. “Well look at him,” He began. “He needs food, water, shelter, and medicine, which are all things we have. So long as we’re the only way he’s able to get those things, he’ll stay with us.” 

“So what are you suggesting?” Asked Aang. Sokka responded by pulling out a map. “So long as we stay away from the coast or any villages where he could get help, he’ll be forced to stick with us! What if we landed here? There’s nowhere for him to go.” 

Aang frowned. “Okay... But Roku told me I have to master all four elements by the end of the summer! How can I do that if we’re hiding in the middle of nowhere? We need to get to the Northern Water Tribe as fast as we can!” 

Sokka frowned back. Sometimes the Avatar magic bending spiritual type stuff really got on his nerves. “Well what are we supposed to do with Zuko then?!” He demanded, angered. “We can’t just bring him with us! ‘Oh hi Northern Water Tribe, just your friendly neighborhood Avatar here to learn waterbending so we can save the world!’” Sokka grabbed Zuko’s arm and jerked him towards him, throwing his own arm over his enemy’s shoulder in an exaggerated feigned friendship. “‘Oh who’s this, oh, he’s just the prince of the Fire Nation but no worries, he’s with us!’ We can’t just take him along, Aang!” He finished dramatically. 

Zuko shoved Sokka away from him  _hard_ , and the water tribesman realized that he had been shouting and grabbing at  _Zuko_ like a mad man. 

“Sokka!” Aang yelled. “You can’t yell out all our secrets in front of him! Now he knows exactly what our plans are!” 

Sokka realized this about the same time that Aang was yelling at him and he clamped his own hands over his mouth in realization. Meanwhile, Zuko glowered over them. “I already  _know_ you’re headed to the Northern Water Tribe, I’m not an idiot. But unlike you, I’m not about to share my nation’s strategy with the enemy. Maybe if you let me go, I’ll keep your little slip of the tongue to myself.” 

Sokka removed his hands from his mouth to glare at Zuko. “Why would we do that? You  just said you already knew we were going to the Northern Water Tribe!” 

Zuko leveled him a calculating gaze. One no doubt curated from his life as a prince, devising bargains, deals, diplomacy. Or maybe it was something royalty was just born with. “I know.” He said thickly, “But I never said that  _Zhao_ knew, or the Fire Lord. I only have one ship, I couldn’t possibly capture you myself once you’re inside that city. But Zhao... he has the whole Fire Navy, hundreds of ships at his command. He could lead an invasion that would take down the whole city and put it under Fire Nation occupation. But if you let me go, I won’t breathe a word to him about it.” 

Sokka tried to digest the situation in his mind. He didn’t have any experience in negotiations, he had no idea how to deal with the enemy. Zuko clearly did. Sokka spoke. “Zhao hates you, he threw you in jail! Why would you even want to go back when he took you as a prisoner?!” 

Zuko frowned. His calculating look grew a little more dangerous. “Because if you don’t let me go, I’ll escape myself, and then I’ll use your little secret as a bargaining chip to get out of trouble with Zhao. He’ll lead an invasion, the Northern Water Tribe will fall under Fire Nation control, and we’ll win the war.” 

Zuko was bluffing his ass off. He had never had to deal with any sort of enemy negotiations, he had no idea what he was doing! He couldn’t believe the Water Tribe boy had accepted his threat of telling Zhao that they were headed to the Northern Water Tribe. Of course Zhao knew! He was probably planning that invasion that Zuko had threatened right now! Where else would the Avatar go to learn waterbending? Zuko felt like he was flying through this conversation by the seat of his pants. 

“How did you find out we were going to the Northern Water Tribe?” Sokka asked tightly. 

_Because it’s completely fucking obvious!_ Zuko thought, but if he said that he would expose himself as bluffing, so instead he wrinkled his nose and said, “You just told me.” 

“Yeah, and you said you already knew! So how did you find out?!” 

Zuko opened his mouth, unsure of what words he was about to speak, when the waterbender girl smacked her brother in the back of the head. “Sokka!” She cried. “It’s obvious! He just figured it out! Where else would we be going?!  He knows, and  Zhao  knows, and the  entire Fire Nation probably knows! It’s not a secret! He’s bargaining with nothing!” 

_Dammit!_ Thought Zuko. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He knew when he’d been caught, though. “Fine!” He spat, “You figured it out! But I can still hurt you if you don’t let me go!” 

Sokka scoffed. “No you can’t! You’re hurt, you can’t even firebend, and the only weapon you have is that pathetic little knife! Besides, there’s three of us. We have no reason to listen to a thing you have to say.” 

Zuko narrowed his eyes. “Well how are your friends going to learn waterbending ifyou’re stuck with me? You said it yourself, you can’t just bring me with you to the Northern Water Tribe.”

Sokka narrowed his eyes right back. “You know, we could always just go back to Zhao and drop you off with him. Do you really want to go back to the Fire Nation after what you just did?” 

Zuko looked away angrily, not having a response to that. “Fine.” He spat. “Do what you want with me. But just know that I’m going to give you trouble at every turn. You’re going to wish you got rid of me.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ive been thinking about where Im gonna go with this for future chapters and what would you guys think if I decided to add shipping. it would either be zuko and sokka or zuko and katara. otherwise i could just keep it where there are no ships. 
> 
> btw regardless of whether or not i end up shipping zuko with her katara will NOT be ending up with aang in this fic. im not trying to piss off any kataangers it is just a bad ship imo and it makes me uncomfortable so yeah sorry if thats offensive or whatever but they r literally cartoon characters so keep it to yourself lol. its my fanfiction and i get to choose the pairings. 
> 
> but yeah do you think i should ship zuko with one of the water tribe siblings or not ship anybody with anyone. also if i end up shipping zuko and sokka homophobia doesnt exist. but yeah comment your thoughts :)


End file.
